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Quick Hits – March 29,2016

Apparently there’s a little more to it!

After covering the Elgin Fire Department sexting saga last week, a source with firsthand knowledge called to say this isn’t nearly the first time that firefighter Amanda Bruce has engaged in that kind of tawdry endeavor.

You see, Ms. Bruce came from the Pingree Grove Fire Department where she eventually married her supervisor there. There’s no proof of any particular indiscretion, but when you consider her pattern, I’m convinced that’s where it all started.

Of course, Bruce moved to the Elgin Fire Department in the mid 2000’s where she caught the eye of her new supervisor with a series of racy cellphone (or digital camera) shots, some of which were allegedly taken on duty. True to form, she divorced her second (I think) husband and married the new guy.

Fast forward to about 2013 when that husband found the latest iteration of her cell phone porn and they get divorced.

This source also said that, in light of that second EFD transgression, Fire Chief John Fahey wanted to fire her right then and there, but he settled on the suspension and demotion because the initial incident had not been publicly addressed. If it makes you feel better, our sexting trio had to hire their own attorneys because there’s some things even the Union won’t cover.

So perhaps I was a little hard on Fahy last week when I laid a preponderance of the blame at his feet, but I won’t lose any sleep over it because Ms. Bruce wasn’t nearly the only one involved this time and, like I said, the Fire Chief has no problem making Donald Trump look reasonable.

But here’s the real problem. A female friend with specific insights into this situation said, “This kind of serial affair scenario makes it that much more difficult for women to become firefighters and get promoted. It may not be fair that this won’t have a long-term effect on the men, but like it or not, when you’re a minority, you represent all of that minority.”

Food for thought!

Improve Carpentersville’s image? I have some thoughts!

About 30 C’ville board members, commission members, and village staff recently attended a “branding” brainstorming workshop in an effort to improve the municipality’s reputation. All I can say is, whatever the WRB LLC consulting firm charged for the workshop was way too much because I would’ve done it for a twelve-pack of Bass Ale and a couple of Chicago-style hotdogs.

So here goes!

1. Eliminate the Village Board

Because they’re the ones who consistently give the village their biggest black eye! One of ‘em was convicted of beating his wife with a baseball bat. A Board candidate lied about never being arrested. Another Board Member almost got into fisticuffs with a high level city staffer. And those are just the highlights! Since they clearly can’t behave like adults, get rid of them!

2. Eliminate those Bill Sarto Youtube videos

This one’s gonna be a little tougher because they’ll have to convince Youtube to go along with it. Suffice it to say, whenever I need a little comic relief, I immediately turn to those infamous Bill Sarto village board meeting videos and suddenly feel much better about my situation.

My favorite clip is called “Waiting for a Second” in which the former village president goes on the kind of legendary rant that sums C’ville up perfectly.

3. Avoid making English the official Village language

Because that kind of thing doesn’t make Hispanics feel welcome. And when you go ahead and do it anyway, perhaps it’s best to avoid sending nasty notes to Spanish language newspapers demanding they cease publication.

4. Host a gay pride parade

This one’s a winner folks! While the late Otto Engineering founder Jack Roeser’s philanthropic efforts helped put C’ville on the map, his well-documented anti-gay rants are epic to say the least. In fact, if Jack even suspected you were a little “soft,” he’d leap at you just like a starving leopard. Senator Mark Kirk found that out the hard way.

Not only would a C’ville gay pride parade add much needed color to an otherwise dull village, but it would go a long way towards ameliorating all those bad feelings.

5. Actually answer FOIA requests.

Instead of ignoring an Illinois Attorney General’s Office order to release information on a young man who died in police custody, perhaps the Village Board might actually set the example by following the law they specifically swore to uphold.

Conversely, collectively deciding that you’re above the law is exactly the kind of thing that gives Village of C’ville the terrible reputation it enjoys today!

So there you have it. Please let me know when I can pick up the Bass Ale.

Another Elgin police officer moves up!

Congratulations to EPD Commander Dan O’Shea who was just tabbed to serve as Rockford Police Chief. My humble suggestion would be to follow in the community-based policing and transparency footsteps of your soon-to-be former boss Jeff Swoboda.

And I will certainly wish you good luck as you move up because, when it comes to Rockford, you’re really gonna need it